I don’t think I’ve ever had a party—small or large, planned or last-minute—where I haven’t served cheese.

If I’m standing around, drinking wine and chatting, I want to be snacking on some sort of cheesy goodness.

And when it comes to Christmas, I find that my family is always in need of appetizers.

I love the part of holiday gatherings where everyone is just relaxing and munching...

So to bring some cheese to the holidays and keep things super festive at the same time, may I present you with Christmas Cheese Balls!

The ingredients are few and the time involved is minimal, but in the end you'll be walking in with a show-stopping appetizer!

You can make just the cheese ball with the green inside and enjoy a pesto-inspired ball with a red outside of tart and crunchy pomegranates.

Or you can choose the ball with the red inside made with sundried tomatoes and green-coated in pistachios and herbs.

No matter what you do, you’ve got a cheese ball!

And with that, you’ve got a party!

Christmas Cheese Ball(Red Outside + Green Inside)

servings:1 cheese ball

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, chilled

4 ounces herbed goat cheese, chilled

½ cup coarsely chopped spinach

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions:

Place the cream cheese, goat cheese, spinach, basil, and garlic powder in the bowl of a food processor, then process to combine until the mixture is nearly smooth and evenly green.

Transfer the cheese mixture to a piece of plastic wrap. Use the plastic, along with your hands, to form the mixture into a tight ball, then place it in the refrigerator to chill until it is firm—25 to 30 minutes.

Remove the cheese ball from the plastic and transfer it to a small plate. Press the pomegranate seeds around the outside of the ball to fully cover it, then reshape it as needed to form a sphere. If you are having any trouble shaping it, let it chill for longer and try shaping/decorating again.

: @NikkiDinki

: @NikkiDinkiCooking

Christmas Cheese Ball (Green Outside + Red Inside)

servings:1 cheese ball

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, chilled

½ cup coarsely chopped sundried tomatoes

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup coarsely chopped shelled pistachios

Directions:

Place the cream cheese and sundried tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor, then process to combine until the mixture is nearly smooth and evenly red.

Transfer the cheese mixture to a piece of plastic wrap. Use the plastic, along with your hands, to form the mixture into a tight ball, then place it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Remove the cheese ball from the plastic wrap and transfer it to a small plate. Press the parsley around the outside of the ball to fully cover it, then repeat with the pistachios. Reshape the cheese ball as needed to form a sphere.